


Step 9

by lightgetsin



Category: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Genre: Addiction, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-10-21
Updated: 2006-10-21
Packaged: 2017-10-02 09:40:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightgetsin/pseuds/lightgetsin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"So I'm going to say something here, and what you're going to do is sit there and listen and not come completely off the rails until I'm done, okay?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Step 9

**Author's Note:**

> Seriously, there were eleven things in the queue in front of this. Don't mind me, apparently I just work here. (Thank you to [](http://jaimelesmaths.livejournal.com/profile)[**jaimelesmaths**](http://jaimelesmaths.livejournal.com/), forever and always).

"Great show," Danny said, appearing in the doorway.

"It was," said Matt.

"You got a minute?"

"I've got six days and twenty-two-and-a-half hours worth of minutes," said Matt. "And how cool would it be to be able to do the math on that at any given moment and just snap it out?"

"For definitions of cool meaning –"

"—completely lame, yeah."

"Right." Danny came the rest of the way into the office and shut the door behind him. "So I'm going to say something here, and what you're going to do is sit there and listen and not come completely off the rails until I'm done, okay?"

"Oh-kay . . ." said Matt. This wasn't Danny's upset face, which a lot of people mistook for his calm face but which definitely wasn't, so this couldn't possibly be too bad.

Danny did a weird little twitch like he was checking that his spine was perfectly straight and his shoulders squared. "I want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for any pain and suffering –"

Matt's feet came down off his desk with a thud. "Oh my God, you're fucking _kidding_ me."

"Well that didn't last very long," Danny muttered.

"No, seriously -- tell me you're kidding."

"I'm not," Danny said evenly. "And I'd appreciate it if you'd let me do this and not make it even more difficult."

"Do you get to do that?" Matt demanded. "Do you really get to guilt people into listening to you make amends even though hey, let's note, it's _not necessary_?"

"I disagree, and I'm smarter than you," Danny said.

"And another thing, how the hell is it actually helpful prostrating yourself in front of people you've supposedly wronged? I've never gotten that."

Danny let out a breath, sidetracked and knowing it and exasperated. "It's a humility thing and an honesty thing. Would you just –"

"Wow," said Matt, "because humility, that'll really cure what ails you. There's nothing quite like feeling very _small_ to make a man get up day after day and fight the good fight."

"I didn't write the rules."

"But you're following them, apparently. How's that thing going where you beg God to cleanse you of your imperfections?"

"That's AA, we use a modified version, and I treat that whole thing as a metaphor, anyway – would you just shut up and let me do this?"

Matt heaved an enormous sigh. "Will it make any difference at all if I say again that this is completely unnecessary?"

"Nope."

"And also that, since you're you, you're probably doing the list thing because it's more self-flagellating that way, and I have a personal objection to being on any list that your dad is also on."

"Noted, and nope."

Matt grabbed the soda off his desk and shook it hard in lieu of Danny's head. Luckily, the can was still closed. "Danny, seriously, he's three thousand miles away. You're really going to call and apologize to him and let him be an ass to you?"

"Yep," said Danny. "Anything else?"

"No," said Matt. "Except that I screw up all the time, and I'm way better at it than you are, and this is completely unnecessary. Also stupid."

"Okay," said Danny. "Can I do my thing now?"

"Can I make fun of you in my head while you do it?"

"Sure," said Danny, and he actually smiled a little through the rest of it, which was just about all Matt could ask from this travesty. "I'm sorry for any pain and suffering my actions have caused you. I'm sorry that I ruined our chances at the movie. I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away. I'm sorry getting high for a few hours was more important than that brilliant script you wrote. I'm sorry I didn't call my sponsor or you or the Pope or anybody. I'm sorry I backed you into a corner. I'm sorry I let you down."

Matt blinked. "Wow. That was . . . are you done?"

Danny nodded.

Matt chewed his lip. "Did it help?"

Danny shrugged. "Is there anything I left out?"

"You forgot the part where you're single-handedly responsible for Hurricane Katrina, global warming, and Republicans."

Danny smiled again, which let Matt know that the one thing he'd ever been able to do to make this a little easier for Danny was still working. "It's not just about me, you know," Danny said. "I'm not just doing this because it's the next thing that's supposed to help."

Matt scowled. "Yeah, about that – am I supposed to accept your apology or something?"

"You don't have to," Danny said, and his body began to ease, his shoulders visibly relaxing.

"Well," said Matt. "Just so you know, if that whole thing had actually been necessary, hypothetically speaking, and I were actually suffering pain and . . . suffering, I would hypothetically accept your apology."

Danny blinked. "Don't you make a living as a writer?"

"Shut up and accept my hypothetical acceptance."

"Accepted," said Danny promptly. "Thank you."

"You're not particularly welcome, but whatever," said Matt. "We should get to the wrap party."

Danny stepped back and opened the door while Matt figured out what he'd done with his coat, and then his wallet, and then his keys. He paused as he came around the desk, looking over at the clock and the empty board which would, _dear universe: please do not let me screw this up_, be filled with their tenth show by next Friday.

"Quit it," said Danny instantly.

"I was just –"

"Monday."

Matt sighed and turned away. "Yeah, okay." The studio was still buzzing as they came out, techs and clean-up crew dodging clusters of giddy actors.

"Hey, Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"In case you missed the part where I'm writing like a madman and this is my dream job and I can't wait to get to work in the morning every single day, I love it here," he said. "And the only way you ever cause me pain is the stupid ass things you do to yourself." He clamped his mouth shut tight on anything useless, like _promise you won't ever do it again_ and _why the fuck didn't you call me?_ and _why should I bother kicking your ass for this when it's completely redundant anyway_? "Come on," he said. "The car's waiting."


End file.
